U.S. patent application number 12/269611 was filed with the patent office on 2009-05-28 for utilizing restriction codes in wireless access point connection attempts.
This patent application is currently assigned to QUALCOMM Incorporated. Invention is credited to Parag A. Agashe, Gavin B. Horn, Rajat Prakash, Fatih Ulupinar.
Application Number | 20090137228 12/269611 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 40409861 |
Filed Date | 2009-05-28 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090137228 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Horn; Gavin B. ; et
al. |
May 28, 2009 |
UTILIZING RESTRICTION CODES IN WIRELESS ACCESS POINT CONNECTION
ATTEMPTS
Abstract
Systems and methodologies are described that facilitate
utilizing restriction codes in rejecting connection requests with
restricted association access points to indicate a reason for the
rejection. Mobile devices can maintain a list of accessible access
points and/or groups of access points, which can be consulted
during cell reselection to ensure unsuitable restricted association
access points are not utilized in cell reselection. Based on
receiving a rejection code from a restricted association access
point, a mobile device can remove the access point, or a related
group, from its maintained list so that subsequent reselection
attempts avoid the access point and/or access points in the related
group.
Inventors: |
Horn; Gavin B.; (La Jolla,
CA) ; Ulupinar; Fatih; (San Diego, CA) ;
Agashe; Parag A.; (San Diego, CA) ; Prakash;
Rajat; (La Jolla, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
QUALCOMM INCORPORATED
5775 MOREHOUSE DR.
SAN DIEGO
CA
92121
US
|
Assignee: |
QUALCOMM Incorporated
San Diego
CA
|
Family ID: |
40409861 |
Appl. No.: |
12/269611 |
Filed: |
November 12, 2008 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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60988631 |
Nov 16, 2007 |
|
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|
60988641 |
Nov 16, 2007 |
|
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|
60988649 |
Nov 16, 2007 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
455/411 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04W 48/06 20130101;
H04W 48/12 20130101; H04W 8/183 20130101; H04W 48/02 20130101; H04W
48/04 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
455/411 |
International
Class: |
H04W 48/08 20090101
H04W048/08 |
Claims
1. A method for connection establishment in a wireless
communication network, comprising: determining whether a group
identifier related to a restricted association access point is
present in a maintained list of accessible access point group
identifiers; requesting connection establishment with the
restricted association access point based at least in part on the
determination; and receiving a rejection in response to the
requesting connection establishment, the rejection comprises a
restriction code that indicates the group identifier is unsuitable
for establishing the requested connection.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising deleting the group
identifier from the maintained list of accessible access point
group identifiers based at least in part on the rejection.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein deleting the group identifier
from the list is further based at least in part on a restriction
code.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein requesting connection
establishment is performed over the air and the rejection is
received over the air from the restricted association access
point.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein requesting connection
establishment is performed over a backhaul connection with the
restricted association access point and the rejection is received
over the backhaul connection.
6. The method of claim 1, further comprising participating in cell
reselection from a disparate access point where requesting
connection establishment is performed during the cell
reselection.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the group identifier related to
the restricted association access point is text based.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the restricted association access
point is restricted from providing signaling, data access,
registration, and/or service based at least in part on the
restriction code.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the requesting connection
establishment comprises including authentication information in the
request.
10. A wireless communications apparatus, comprising: at least one
processor configured to: verify presence of a group identifier
related to a restricted association access point within a
maintained list of accessible access point group identifiers;
request connection establishment with the restricted association
access point based at least in part on the presence of the group
identifier in the maintained list; and receive a restriction code
in response to the requesting connection establishment indicating
the group identifier is unsuitable for connection establishment;
and a memory coupled to the at least one processor.
11. A wireless communications apparatus that facilitates
establishing connection with one or more access points in wireless
communications, comprising: means for determining that a group
identifier related to a restricted association access point is
present in a maintained list of accessible access point group
identifiers; means for requesting connection establishment with the
restricted association access point based at least in part on the
determination; and means for receiving a restriction code in
response to the requesting connection establishment indicating
establishing connection with the restricted association access
point is restricted.
12. A computer program product, comprising: a computer-readable
medium comprising: code for causing at least one computer to
determine whether a group identifier related to a restricted
association access point is present in a maintained list of
accessible access point group identifiers; code for causing the at
least one computer to request connection establishment with the
restricted association access point based at least in part on the
determination; and code for causing the at least one computer to
receive a rejection in response to the requesting connection
establishment, the rejection comprises a restriction code that
indicates the group identifier is unsuitable for establishing
connection.
13. An apparatus, comprising: an access list controller that
maintains a list of accessible access point group identifiers and
determines a group identifier related to a restricted association
access point is present in the list; a connection requestor that
requests connection establishment with the restricted association
access point based at least in part on the determination by the
access list controller; and a restriction code receiver that
receives a restriction code in response to the requesting
connection establishment indicating the group identifier is
unsuitable for establishing connection.
14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the access list controller
deletes the group identifier from the maintained list of accessible
access point group identifiers based at least in part on the
restriction code.
15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the connection requester
requests connection establishment over the air and the restriction
code receiver receives the restriction code over the air from the
restricted association access point.
16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the connection requester
requests connection establishment over a backhaul connection with
the restricted association access point and the restriction code
receiver receivers the restriction code over the backhaul
connection.
17. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising a cell reselector
that participates in cell reselection from a disparate access point
where the connection requestor requests the connection
establishment during the cell reselection.
18. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the group identifier related
to the restricted association access point is text based.
19. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the restriction code
receiver determines the restricted association access point is
restricted from providing signaling, data access, registration,
and/or service to the apparatus based at least in part on the
restriction code.
20. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the connection requester
includes authentication information in the request for connection
establishment.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Patent application Ser. No. 60/988,631 entitled "APPARATUS AND
METHOD TO FACILITATE IDLE STATE HANDOFF IN SYSTEMS WITH RESTRICTED
ASSOCIATION" which was filed Nov. 16, 2007, U.S. Provisional Patent
application Ser. No. 60/988,641 entitled "APPARATUS AND METHOD TO
FACILITATE CONNECTED STATE HANDOFF IN SYSTEMS WITH RESTRICTED
ASSOCIATION" which was filed Nov. 16, 2007, and U.S. Provisional
Patent application Ser. No. 60/988,649 entitled "APPARATUS AND
METHOD TO FACILITATE MANAGEMENT AND ADVERTISEMENT OF NEIGHBOR LISTS
IN SYSTEMS WITH RESTRICTED ASSOCIATION" which was filed Nov. 16,
2007. The entireties of the aforementioned applications are herein
incorporated by reference.
[0002] In addition, this application is related co-pending U.S.
Patent applications "FAVORING ACCESS POINTS IN WIRELESS
COMMUNICATIONS" by Gavin Horn, et al., having Attorney Docket No.
072324U2, "UTILIZING BROADCAST SIGNALS TO CONVEY RESTRICTED
ASSOCIATION INFORMATION" by Gavin Horn, et al., having Attorney
Docket No. 072324U3, "CLASSIFYING ACCESS POINTS USING PILOT
IDENTIFIERS" by Gavin Horn, et al., having Attorney Docket No.
072324U4, and "SECTOR IDENTIFICATION USING SECTOR PARAMETERS
SIGNATURES" by Gavin Horn, et al., having Attorney Docket No.
072324U5, all of which are filed concurrently herewith, assigned to
the assignee hereof, and expressly incorporated by reference
herein.
BACKGROUND
[0003] I. Field
[0004] The following description relates generally to wireless
communications, and more particularly to utilizing restriction
codes in conjunction with attempts to connect to wireless access
points.
[0005] II. Background
[0006] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to
provide various types of communication content such as, for
example, voice, data, and so on. Typical wireless communication
systems may be multiple-access systems capable of supporting
communication with multiple users by sharing available system
resources (e.g. bandwidth, transmit power, . . . ). Examples of
such multiple-access systems may include code division multiple
access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA)
systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems,
orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems, and
the like. Additionally, the systems can conform to specifications
such as third generation partnership project (3GPP), 3GPP long term
evolution (LTE), ultra mobile broadband (UMB), etc.
[0007] Generally, wireless multiple-access communication systems
may simultaneously support communication for multiple mobile
devices. Each mobile device may communicate with one or more base
stations via transmissions on forward and reverse links. The
forward link (or downlink) refers to the communication link from
base stations to mobile devices, and the reverse link (or uplink)
refers to the communication link from mobile devices to base
stations. Further, communications between mobile devices and base
stations may be established via single-input single-output (SISO)
systems, multiple-input single-output (MISO) systems,
multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems, and so forth. In
addition, mobile devices can communicate with other mobile devices
(and/or base stations with other base stations) in peer-to-peer
wireless network configurations.
[0008] MIMO systems commonly employ multiple (N.sub.T) transmit
antennas and multiple (N.sub.R) receive antennas for data
transmission. The antennas can relate to both base stations and
mobile devices, in one example, allowing bi-directional
communication between the devices on the wireless network. As
mobile devices move throughout service areas, cells utilized for
communication by the devices can be reselected between one or more
access points (e.g., macrocells, femtocells, etc.). This can occur,
for example, where an available access point, or serving cell
thereof, can offer a better signal or service than a current access
point. The mobile devices can measure parameters related to one or
more cells, such as signal quality, service level, etc. and rank
the cells according to desirability, which can be based on one or
more of the parameters. In one example, the available access point
can relate to a home access point for a given mobile device
offering desirable billing, coverage, service options, etc.
Accordingly, cells utilized for communication can be reselected to
the more desirable access point when within a specified range.
SUMMARY
[0009] The following presents a simplified summary of one or more
embodiments in-order to provide a basic understanding of such
embodiments. This summary is not an extensive overview of all
contemplated embodiments, and is intended to neither identify key
or critical elements of all embodiments nor delineate the scope of
any or all embodiments. Its sole purpose is to present some
concepts of one or more embodiments in a simplified form as a
prelude to the more detailed description that is presented
later.
[0010] In accordance with one or more embodiments and corresponding
disclosure thereof, various aspects are described in connection
with facilitating utilizing restriction codes in wireless access
point connection attempts. The codes can be used in reselecting a
cell during cell reselection, for example, where reselection is
attempted with a cell implementing restricted association. Thus, if
a device requesting reselection to the cell is restricted from
utilizing the cell, or access point related thereto, a restriction
code can be received by the device indicating a reason for the
restriction. In some cases, the restriction can be temporary (e.g.
cell overloaded or resetting) or more permanent (e.g., device not
authorized for access or cell is down for a period of time).
Depending on the restriction, the device can remove the cell or
related access point from a maintained list of cells for
reselection where the list is consulted to verify whether possible
cells, or related access points, for reselection are in the list.
For example, if the restriction code indicates a more permanent
restriction, removing the cell or access point (or a group
identifier related to the access point) from the maintained list
can result in more efficient reselection. It is to be appreciated
that the list can alternatively list cells to which reselection
should not be attempted; based on the restriction code in this
example, cells can be added to the list.
[0011] According to related aspects, a method for connection
establishment in a wireless communication network is provided. The
method includes determining whether a group identifier related to a
restricted association access point is present in a maintained list
of accessible access point group identifiers. The method can
further include requesting connection establishment with the
restricted association access point based at least in part on the
determination and receiving a rejection in response to the
requesting connection establishment. The rejection comprises a
restriction code that indicates the group identifier is unsuitable
for establishing the requested connection.
[0012] Another aspect relates to a wireless communications
apparatus. The wireless communications apparatus can include at
least one processor configured to verify presence of a group
identifier related to a restricted association access point within
a maintained list of accessible access point group identifiers and
request connection establishment with the restricted association
access point based at least in part on the presence of the group
identifier in the maintained list. The processor is further
configured to receive a restriction code in response to the
requesting connection establishment indicating the group identifier
is unsuitable for connection establishment. The wireless
communications apparatus also comprises a memory coupled to the at
least one processor.
[0013] Yet another aspect relates to a wireless communications
apparatus that facilitates establishing connection with one or more
access points in wireless communications. The wireless
communications apparatus can comprise means for determining that a
group identifier related to a restricted association access point
is present in a maintained list of accessible access point group
identifiers and means for requesting connection establishment with
the restricted association access point based at least in part on
the determination. The wireless communications apparatus can
additionally include means for receiving a restriction code in
response to the requesting connection establishment indicating
establishing connection with the restricted association access
point is restricted.
[0014] Still another aspect relates to a computer program product,
which can have a computer-readable medium including code for
causing at least one computer to determine whether a group
identifier related to a restricted association access point is
present in a maintained list of accessible access point group
identifiers. The computer-readable medium can also comprise code
for causing the at least one computer to request connection
establishment with the restricted association access point based at
least in part on the determination. Moreover, the computer-readable
medium can comprise code for causing the at least one computer to
receive a rejection in response to the requesting connection
establishment, the rejection comprises a restriction code that
indicates the group identifier is unsuitable for establishing
connection.
[0015] Moreover, an additional aspect relates to an apparatus. The
apparatus can include an access list controller that maintains a
list of accessible access point group identifiers and determines a
group identifier related to a restricted association access point
is present in the list and a connection requestor that requests
connection establishment with the restricted association access
point based at least in part on the determination by the access
list controller. The apparatus can further include a restriction
code receiver that receives a restriction code in response to the
requesting connection establishment indicating the group identifier
is unsuitable for establishing connection.
[0016] To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the
one or more embodiments comprise the features hereinafter fully
described and particularly pointed out in the claims. The following
description and the annexed drawings set forth in detail certain
illustrative aspects of the one or more embodiments. These aspects
are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which
the principles of various embodiments may be employed and the
described embodiments are intended to include all such aspects and
their equivalents.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] FIG. 1 is an illustration of a wireless communication system
in accordance with various aspects set forth herein.
[0018] FIG. 2 is an illustration of a wireless communication
network that facilitates cell reselection.
[0019] FIG. 3 is an illustration of an example communications
apparatus for employment within a wireless communications
environment.
[0020] FIG. 4 is an illustration of an example wireless
communications system that effectuates utilizing restriction codes
in connection establishment rejections.
[0021] FIG. 5 is an illustration of an example methodology that
facilitates performing cell reselection in wireless networks.
[0022] FIG. 6 is an illustration of an example methodology that
facilitates requesting connection establishment based on a
maintained list of accessible access points.
[0023] FIG. 7 is an illustration of an example methodology that
facilitates maintaining a list of accessible access points based on
received restriction codes.
[0024] FIG. 8 is an illustration of an example mobile device that
facilitates maintaining and utilizing a list of accessible access
points in cell reselection.
[0025] FIG. 9 is an illustration of an example system that
generates restriction codes for utilization in rejection connection
requests.
[0026] FIG. 10 is an illustration of an example wireless network
environment that can be employed in conjunction with the various
systems and methods described herein.
[0027] FIG. 11 is an illustration of an example system that
maintains and consults a list of accessible access point in
requesting connection establishment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0028] Various embodiments are now described with reference to the
drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like
elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes of
explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in-order to
provide a thorough understanding of one or more embodiments. It may
be evident, however, that such embodiment(s) can be practiced
without these specific details. In other instances, well-known
structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in-order to
facilitate describing one or more embodiments.
[0029] As used in this application, the terms "component, "
"module," "system," and the like are intended to refer to a
computer-related entity, either hardware, firmware, a combination
of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. For
example, a component can be, but is not limited to being, a process
running on a processor, a processor, an object, an executable, a
thread of execution, a program, and/or a computer. By way of
illustration, both an application running on a computing device and
the computing device can be a component. One or more components can
reside within a process and/or thread of execution and a component
can be localized on one computer and/or distributed between two or
more computers. In addition, these components can execute from
various computer readable media having various data structures
stored thereon. The components can communicate by way of local
and/or remote processes such as in accordance with a signal having
one or more data packets (e.g., data from one component interacting
with another component in a local system, distributed system,
and/or across a network such as the Internet with other systems by
way of the signal).
[0030] Furthermore, various embodiments are described herein in
connection with a mobile device. A mobile device can also be called
a system, subscriber unit, subscriber station, mobile station,
mobile, remote station, remote terminal, access terminal, user
terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent, user
device, or user equipment (UE). A mobile device can be a cellular
telephone, a cordless telephone, a Session Initiation Protocol
(SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal
digital assistant (PDA), a handheld device having wireless
connection capability, computing device, or other processing device
connected to a wireless modem. Moreover, various embodiments are
described herein in connection with a base station. A base station
can be utilized for communicating with mobile device(s) and can
also be referred to as an access point, Node B, evolved Node B
(eNode B or eNB), base transceiver station (BTS) or some other
terminology.
[0031] Moreover, various aspects or features described herein can
be implemented as a method, apparatus, or article of manufacture
using standard programming and/or engineering techniques. The term
"article of manufacture" as used herein is intended to encompass a
computer program accessible from any computer-readable device,
carrier, or media. For example, computer-readable media can include
but are not limited to magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disk,
floppy disk, magnetic strips, etc.), optical disks (e.g., compact
disk (CD), digital versatile disk (DVD), etc.), smart cards, and
flash memory devices (e.g., EPROM, card, stick, key drive, etc.).
Additionally, various storage media described herein can represent
one or more devices and/or other machine-readable media for storing
information. The term "machine-readable medium" can include,
without being limited to, wireless channels and various other media
capable of storing, containing, and/or carrying instruction(s)
and/or data.
[0032] The techniques described herein may be used for various
wireless communication systems such as code division multiple
access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency
division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal frequency division
multiple access (OFDMA), single carrier frequency domain
multiplexing (SC-FDMA) and other systems. The terms "system" and
"network" are often used interchangeably. A CDMA system may
implement a radio technology such as Universal Terrestrial Radio
Access (UTRA), CDMA2000, etc. UTRA includes Wideband-CDMA (W-CDMA)
and other variants of CDMA. CDMA2000 covers IS-2000, IS-95 and
IS-856 standards. A TDMA system may implement a radio technology
such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). An OFDMA
system may implement a radio technology such as Evolved UTRA
(E-UTRA), Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE
802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDM, etc. UTRA and E-UTRA are
part of Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS). 3GPP Long
Term Evolution (LTE) is an upcoming release that uses E-UTRA, which
employs OFDMA on the downlink and SC-FDMA on the uplink. UTRA,
E-UTRA, UMTS, LTE and GSM are described in documents from an
organization named "3rd Generation Partnership Project" (3GPP).
CDMA2000 and UMB are described in documents from an organization
named "3rd Generation Partnership Project 2" (3GPP2).
[0033] Referring now to FIG. 1, a wireless communication system 100
is illustrated in accordance with various embodiments presented
herein. System 100 comprises a base station 102 that can include
multiple antenna groups. For example, one antenna group can include
antennas 104 and 106, another group can comprise antennas 108 and
110, and an additional group can include antennas 112 and 114. Two
antennas are illustrated for each antenna group; however, more or
fewer antennas can be utilized for each group. Base station 102 can
additionally include a transmitter chain and a receiver chain, each
of which can in turn comprise a plurality of components associated
with signal transmission and reception (e.g., processors,
modulators, multiplexers, demodulators, demultiplexers, antennas,
etc.), as will be appreciated by one skilled in the art.
[0034] Base station 102 can communicate with one or more mobile
devices such as mobile device 116 and mobile device 126; however,
it is to be appreciated that base station 102 can communicate with
substantially any number of mobile devices similar to mobile
devices 116 and 126. Mobile devices 116 and 126 can be, for
example, cellular phones, smart phones, laptops, handheld
communication devices, handheld computing devices, satellite
radios, global positioning systems, PDAs, and/or any other suitable
device for communicating over wireless communication system 100. As
depicted, mobile device 116 is in communication with antennas 112
and 114, where antennas 112 and 114 transmit information to mobile
device 116 over a forward link 118 and receive information from
mobile device 116 over a reverse link 120. In a frequency division
duplex (FDD) system, forward link 118 can utilize a different
frequency band than that used by reverse link 120, for example.
Further, in a time division duplex (TDD) system, forward link 118
and reverse link 120 can utilize a common frequency.
[0035] Each group of antennas and/or the area in which they are
designated to communicate can be referred to as a sector or cell of
base station 102. For example, antenna groups can be designed to
communicate to mobile devices in a sector of the areas covered by
base station 102. In communication over forward link 118, the
transmitting antennas of base station 102 can utilize beamforming
to improve signal-to-noise ratio of forward link 118 for mobile
device 116. Also, while base station 102 utilizes beamforming to
transmit to mobile device 116 scattered randomly through an
associated coverage, mobile devices in neighboring cells can be
subject to less interference as compared to a base station
transmitting through a single antenna to all its mobile devices.
Moreover, mobile devices 116 and 126 can communicate directly with
one another using a peer-to-peer or ad hoc technology.
[0036] In addition, the base station 102 can communicate with a
network 122, which can be one or more networks including a wireless
service access network (e.g., a 3G network), over a backhaul link
connection. The network 122 can store information regarding access
parameters related to the mobile device 116 and 126 and other
parameters of a wireless access network to provide service to the
devices 116 an 126. Furthermore, a femtocell 124 can be provided to
facilitate communicating with the mobile device 126 over forward
link 128 and reverse link 130 (similarly to forward link 118 and
reverse link 120, as described supra). The femtocell 124 can
provide access to one or more mobile devices 126 much like the base
station 102, but on a smaller scale. In one example, femtocell 124
can be configured in a residence, business, and/or other close
range setting (e.g., theme park, stadium, apartment complex, etc.).
The femtocell 124 can connect to the network 122 utilizing a
backhaul link connection, which can be over a broadband Internet
connection (T1/T3, digital subscriber line (DSL), cable, etc.), in
one example. The network 122 can similarly provide access
information for the mobile device 126.
[0037] According to an example, mobile devices 116 and 126 can
travel over service areas performing cell reselection among
disparate base stations and/or femtocells during travel. In this
regard, the mobile devices 116 and 126 can effectuate continuous
wireless service seamless to users of the mobile devices 116 and
126. In one example (not shown), mobile device 126 can have been
communicating with the base station 102 similarly to the mobile
device 116, and can have moved into a specified range of the
femtocell 124. In this regard, the mobile device 126 can have
reselected one or more cells related to the femtocell 124 to
receive more desirable wireless service access. In one example, the
femtocell 124 can be a home access point for the mobile device 126
offering more desirable billing and/or other access options. In
another example, the femtocell 124 can be related to a business or
venue offering options or data tailored to the respective business
or venue. Thus, mobile device 126 can reselect one or more cells
related to the femtocell 124 to receive such tailored options. In
addition, as mobile device 126 moves toward base station 102, it
can reselect a cell related thereto, for a variety of reasons
(e.g., to mitigate interference on the femtocell 124, to receive a
more optimal signal or increased throughput, etc.).
[0038] In traveling over the service area, mobile devices 116
and/or 126 can continually measure available base stations (such as
base station 102), femtocells (such as femtocell 124), and/or other
access points, to determine when cell reselection is beneficial to
the mobile devices 116 and/or 126. The measuring can include, for
example, evaluating signal quality, throughput, services available,
a wireless access provider related to the access point, and/or the
like. Based on one or more of the measurements, the mobile devices
116 and/or 126 can rank access points for reselection. Upon
determining the ranking, the mobile devices 116 and/or 126 can
attempt cell reselection to the highest ranking access point. In
addition, the mobile devices 116 and/or 126 can maintain a list of
accessible access points and/or groups of accessible access points.
The accessible access points can relate to, for example, restricted
association access points that the mobile devices 116 and/or 126
are authorized to access and/or to which access is preferred or
otherwise favorable over other access points.
[0039] In one example, the femtocell 124 can be such a restricted
association access point. Restricted association access points, for
example, can be restricted in some aspects where each access point
provides certain services to certain mobile devices (e.g., mobile
devices 116 and/or 126) but not necessarily to other mobile devices
or access terminals (not shown). For example, the femtocell 124 can
be restricted to not provide to the other mobile devices or access
terminals registration, signaling, voice call, data access, and/or
additional services. Restricted association access points can be
deployed in an ad-hoc manner. For example, a given homeowner can
install and configure a restricted access point for the home.
[0040] In one example, the mobile devices 116 and/or 126 can
identify one or more available access points based at least in part
on one or more indicators in a broadcast signal related to the
access point(s). Upon receiving the one or more indicators, the
mobile devices 116 and/or 126 can ensure the access point(s) is/are
in the list, or that a related group identifier is in the list,
before attempting cell reselection. In another example, the mobile
devices 116 and/or 126 can verify association of the access point
with the list before measuring the parameters for ranking.
[0041] In this regard, restriction codes can be utilized by
available access points, such as base station 102 and/or femtocell
124, to indicate whether it supports connection with the mobile
device 116 and/or 126 or whether connection is unsuitable. The
mobile device 116 and/or 126, upon receiving one or more
restriction codes, can remove the access point, such as base
station 102 and/or femtocell 124, and/or a group identifier related
thereto from the list of accessible access points. Thus, in
subsequent cell reselection, the mobile device 116 and/or 126 can
disregard cells related to the restricted access point or an
identified related group, which conserves resources and time
required to attempt connection with the access point or other
access points in the same group. As described, the mobile device
116 and/or 126 can receive some restriction codes for which it does
not remove the access point or group from the list (e.g., where the
access point is currently at a maximum connection capacity). In
another example, the mobile device 116 and/or 126 can maintain a
list of inaccessible access points or groups and can add the access
point or group identifiers to the list based at least in part on
the received restriction code.
[0042] Now referring to FIG. 2, a wireless communication system 200
configured to support a number of mobile devices is illustrated.
The system 200 provides communication for multiple cells, such as
for example, macrocells 202A-202G, with each cell being serviced by
a corresponding access point 204A-204G. As described previously,
for instance, the access points 204A-204G related to the macrocells
202A-202G can be base stations. Mobile devices 206A-206I are shown
dispersed at various locations throughout the wireless
communication system 200. Each mobile device 206A-206I can
communicate with one or more access points 204A-204G on a forward
link and/or a reverse link, as described. In addition, access
points 208A-208C are shown. These can be smaller scale access
points, such as femtocells, offering services related to a
particular service location, as described. The mobile devices
206A-206I can additionally communicate with these smaller scale
access points 208A-208C to receive offered services. The wireless
communication system 200 can provide service over a large
geographic region, in one example (e.g., macrocells 202A-202G can
cover a few blocks in a neighborhood, and the femtocell access
points 208A-208C can be present in areas such as residences, office
buildings, and/or the like as described). In an example, the mobile
devices 206A-206I can establish connection with the access points
204A-204G and/or 208A-208C over the air and/or over a backhaul
connection.
[0043] Additionally, as shown, the mobile devices 206A-206I can
travel throughout the system 200 and can reselect cells related to
the various access points 204A-204G and/or 208A-208C as it moves
through the different macrocells 202A-202G or femtocell coverage
areas. In one example, the one or more of the mobile devices
206A-206I can be associated with a home femtocell related to at
least one of femtocell access points 208A-208C. For example, mobile
device 206I can be associated with femtocell access point 208B as
its home femtocell. Thus, though mobile device 206I is in macrocell
202B, and thus in coverage area of access point 204B, it can
communicate with the femtocell access point 208B instead of (or in
addition to) access point 204B. In one example, the femtocell
access point 208B can provide additional services to the mobile
device 206I, such as desirable billing or charges, minute usage,
enhanced services (e.g., faster broadband access, media services,
etc.). Thus, when the mobile device 206I is in range of the
femtocell access point 208B, it can be reined in to communicate
therewith by favoring the femtocell access point 208B in
reselection.
[0044] For example, mobile device 206D can be associated with
femtocell access point 208C. As the mobile device 206D moves from
macrocell 202C into 202D and closer to access points 204D and/or
208C, it can begin the cell reselection process, as described
herein. This can include, for example, measuring surrounding cell
parameters (e.g., related to access points 204C, 204D, and 208C) to
determine a desirable connection. The parameters can relate to, for
example, signal quality, connection throughput, services offered, a
service provider related to the access point, and/or the like. The
mobile device 206D can additionally verify an identifier of the
access point as present in a list of accessible access points, as
described. The list can additionally or alternatively identify
groups of access points where a group identifier of the access
point can be verified with group identifiers in the list. In the
foregoing example, the mobile device 206D can measure parameters
for access points 204C, 204D, and 208C and rank the cells to
determine whether to perform cell reselection from access point
204C to one of the others if their rank is higher. As in the
previous example, where femtocell access point 208C relates to a
home femtocell of the mobile device 206D, it can favor it for
reselection (e.g., by evaluating an added parameter offset to
increase its value and/or hysteresis to decrease parameter values
of other access points, for example). If one or more of the
disparate access points 204D and/or 208C rank higher than the
access point 204C, mobile device 206D can reselect one or more
cells related to the disparate access point 204D or 208C.
[0045] In one example, one or more of the disparate access points
204D and/or 208C can implement restricted association where some
mobile devices cannot connect thereto, and/or the access points
204D and/or 208C can restrict certain mobile devices with respect
to providing signaling, data access, registration, service, and/or
the like. This can be based at least in part on a service provider
of the mobile device and the restricted associated access point,
for example. In another example, the restricted association access
point can relate to certain mobile devices, such as a corporate
access point restricting access only to corporate issued mobile
devices. Thus, if the mobile device 206D cannot reselect cells
related to one or more of the disparate access points 204D and/or
208C due to restricted association, it can attempt cell reselection
with one or more of the other ranked access points until it finds
an access point to which it can connect. Where the mobile device
206D cannot connect to access point 204D and/or 208C due to
restricted association, it can receive a restriction code
indicating the reason for the restriction.
[0046] Furthermore, as described, the mobile devices 206A-206I can
maintain a list of accessible access points and/or groups thereof.
In one example, the list can include only certain types of access
points (such as femtocells) since other types of access points
(such as macrocells) can be accessible from substantially any
mobile device. The list of accessible access points and/or groups
can be originally populated, for example, by one or more access
points in communication with the mobile device 206A-206I, which can
retrieve the information from an underlying wireless network as
described. As the mobile devices 206A-206I move throughout the
coverage area of the wireless system 200 and reselects cells as
described, it can first verify the cells as being present in the
list where relevant. In one example, if the mobile devices
206A-206I determine one or more femtocell access points 208A-208C
to be the highest ranked cell based on measurements as described,
it can verify that the respective femtocell access point is in the
list. If not, the mobile devices 206A-206I can decide not to
attempt access to the femtocell access point and can attempt
connection with the next highest ranked access point and/or attempt
to locate another access point on a disparate frequency. As
described, the ranking can be affected by an offset and/or
hysteresis value to favor an access point respectively when in
range or connected thereto. As described above, the mobile devices
206A-206I can receive a restriction code, over the air or over an
established backhaul connection, where connection to an access
point is denied. Thus, if the mobile device 206A-206I receives a
restriction code when attempting to connect with an access point,
and the access point or related group is identified in the list, it
can remove the access point and/or group from the list based at
least in part on the code to prevent future connection attempts to
the access point or access points of the related group, as
described. It is to be appreciated that a list of inaccessible
cells and/or groups can be maintained where the mobile devices
206A-206I can add the restricted association cell to the list.
[0047] Turning to FIG. 3, illustrated is a communications apparatus
300 for employment within a wireless communications environment.
The communications apparatus 300 can be a base station or a portion
thereof, a mobile device or a portion thereof, or substantially any
communications apparatus that receives data transmitted in a
wireless communications environment. The communications apparatus
300 can include a connection requester 302 that transmits a request
for connection establishment to one or more disparate
communications apparatuses (not shown) to receive wireless
communication services, a restriction code receiver 304 that can
receive and evaluate a restriction code received in response to
requesting the connection establishment, and an access list
controller 306 that can maintain a list of access points or groups
of access points with which communication can be established by the
communications apparatus 300. In another example, the access list
controller 306, as described, can maintain a list of forbidden
access points or groups.
[0048] In one example, the communications apparatus 300 can attempt
to establish a connection with one or more surrounding access
points (not shown) over the air and/or over a backhaul connection.
The access list controller 306 can identify the one or more access
points or group identifiers related to the access point and verify
presence of the access point and/or group identifier in a list of
accessible access points or groups (or confirm absence in a list of
forbidden access points/groups, in another example). Based at least
on this verification, the connection requestor 302 can request
connection establishment with the one or more access points by
transmitting the request thereto. In one example, the
communications apparatus 300 can receive a rejection in response to
the connection establishment request. The rejection can relate to a
variety of reasons, and thus, the restriction code receiver 304 can
receive a restriction code in the rejection response to allow
identification of the reason for rejection. The restriction code
can be received over the air and/or over a backhaul connection
utilized to attempt connection establishment. For example, the
restriction can relate to the communications apparatus 300 being
unauthorized to establish communication with the access point
(e.g., the access point is a restricted association access point),
resource deficiency in the access point, a status of the access
point, and/or the like.
[0049] In this example, the access list controller 306 can take
certain action with respect to the access point and the maintained
list of accessible access points and/or groups. For example, where
the restriction code receiver 304 determines the code to be related
to lack of authorization of the communications apparatus 300 to
access the restricted association access point, the access list
controller 306 can remove the access point from the maintained list
of accessible access points (or add it to a list of forbidden
access points). In this regard, the communications apparatus 300
can skip over the access point in a subsequent request for
connection establishment as it is no longer in the list of
accessible access points (or is present within the list of
forbidden access points), which conserves resources of the
communications apparatus. In another example, the access list
controller 306 can remove a group identifier associated with the
access point from the maintained list such to mitigate the
connection requestor 302 attempting connection establishment with
access points having the same group identifier (e.g., where the
access point group is related to a certain service provider
inaccessible by the communications apparatus 300).
[0050] According to an example, the list maintained by the access
list controller 306 can relate to only certain types of access
points or groups thereof For example, base stations can be absent
from the list, as access to the base stations can be provided for
substantially all devices and/or mechanisms for identifying
appropriate base stations can be already present in the
communications apparatus 300. In this example, the access list
controller 306 can maintain a list of femtocells, or related group
identifiers thereof, that it can access for wireless communication
services. The list can be of known restricted association access
points, for example. The access list controller 306 can be
consulted by the connection requestor 302 for verification of
presence of an access point in the list before requesting
connection. In another example, the access list controller 306 can
be consulted by one or more disparate components of the
communications apparatus 300 when measuring cell parameters to
identify access points or cells that need not be measured (e.g.,
because they are not in the list of accessible access points).
Thus, the communications apparatus 300 can conserve resources in
this regard as well. In either case, maintaining the list of
accessible access points and updating the list upon receiving
restriction codes allows the communications apparatus 300 to avoid
connecting with restricted femtocells, from which association is
restricted, saving resources that would be utilized by attempting
connection establishment.
[0051] Now referring to FIG. 4, illustrated is a wireless
communications system 400 where restriction codes can be provided
to identify restricted association access points. The wireless
device 402, access point 404, and/or restricted association access
point 406 can be a base station, femtocell, mobile device, or
portion thereof. In one example, wireless device 402 can transmit
information to an access point 404 and/or restricted association
access point 406 over a reverse link or uplink channel; further
wireless device 402 can receive information from access point 404
or restricted association access point 406 over a forward link or
downlink channel. Moreover, system 400 can be a MIMO system. Also,
the components and functionalities shown and described below in the
wireless device 402 can be present in the access point 404 and/or
restricted association access point 406 as well and vice versa, in
one example; the configuration depicted excludes these components
for ease of explanation.
[0052] Wireless device 402 includes a cell reselector 408 that can
measure cell parameters, as described, and reselect a cell for
receiving wireless communication services, a connection requester
410 that can request connection establishment with an access point
related to the reselected cell, a restriction code receiver 412
that can receive a restriction code related to the request for
connection, an access list controller 414 that can maintain a list
of accessible access points and/or related group identifiers and
verify existence of the access point, or related group identifier,
corresponding to the reselected cell in the list, and a connection
establisher 416 that can establish the connection with the
reselected access point. In one example, the wireless device 402
can be communicating with access point 404 to receive wireless
communication services (e.g., over the air or over a backhaul
connection) and can move in range of the restricted association
access point 406. As described below, the wireless device 402 can
initiate cell reselection to the restricted association access
point 406.
[0053] The restricted association access point 406 comprises a
connection request receiver 418 that receives a request for
connection establishment from one or more wireless devices, a
restriction evaluator 420 that can determine one or more
restrictions related to the wireless devices accessing the
restricted association access point 406, and a connection request
responder 422 that can transmit a response to the connection
request comprising a restriction code indicating the determined
restriction related to accessing the restricted association access
point 406. The restriction code can relate to the wireless device
being unauthorized to access the restricted association access
point 406, in one example. In another example, the restriction
evaluator 420 can determine whether restrictions regarding
providing signaling, data access, registration, and/or service
apply to the wireless device 402. The restriction code can convey
such restrictions allowing the wireless device 402 to utilize the
information in performing subsequent actions, for example.
[0054] According to an example, as described, the wireless device
402 can participate in a wireless communications system traveling
around the system and receiving wireless service access from one or
more disparate access points, such as access point 404 and/or
restricted association access point 406. The access points can
provide broad area coverage, such as a base station implementing
one or more macrocells, and/or more localized or specific coverage,
such as a femtocell configured in a residence, office building,
venue, etc., as described. The wireless device 402 can perform cell
reselection among the access points, as described, when coming into
range of a new access point, such as restricted association access
point 406 and out of range of a current access point 404. This can
be determined by evaluating parameters relating to the access
points 404 and 406 such that the determination can be based on
multiple parameters (not just signal strength, for example). In
this regard, the wireless device 402 supports seamless
communications while traveling throughout the wireless network.
[0055] According to an example, the wireless device 402 can be
communicating with access point 404 to receive wireless
communication services. The wireless device 402, as described, can
be mobile, and the cell reselector 408 can evaluate surrounding
cells to determine when cell reselection is appropriate to continue
the wireless communication services. This can occur, for example,
where the wireless device 402 moves in range of an access point
improving signal quality thereof while moving away from the
connected access point 404 experiencing a degradation in its signal
quality. In this regard, the cell reselector 408 can measure
surrounding cell parameters and rank the cells according to the
parameters. When the current access point 404 falls from the top of
the ranked list, in one example, the wireless device 402 can begin
cell reselection to the top ranked access point.
[0056] The cell reselector 408 can rank access points based not
only on metrics such as signal quality, throughput, and/or the
like, but also services provided by the access point,
identification of the access point as a home access point
(providing desirable billing, speeds, and/or the like), etc. In one
example, a cell related to the restricted association access point
406 can outrank the current cell related to the access point 404.
The access list controller 414 can be leveraged to determine if the
restricted association access point 406, or an associated group
identifier, is listed in a list of accessible access points and/or
groups maintained by the access list controller 414. In one
example, verifying the access point 406 in the list can be based on
a type of access point; for example, a base station may not need to
be verified as its access is not restricted whereas the restricted
association access point 406 can be verified for presence in the
list. If the restricted association access point 406 is not in the
list, the wireless device 402 can evaluate the next access point in
the ranked list for cell reselection; in one example, the next
ranked access point can be the current access point 404 such that
the wireless device 402 ceases cell reselection.
[0057] If, however, the restricted association access point 406, or
related group identifier, is in the list maintained by the access
list controller 414, the connection requester 410 can request
connection establishment with the restricted association access
point 406. The connection request receiver 418 can receive the
request for connection establishment and can determine whether to
grant the request. The restriction evaluator 420 can determine
whether restrictions exist related to communicating with the
wireless device 402. Restrictions can be determined based at least
in part on an access provider of the wireless device 402, one or
more protocols supported by the wireless device 402, media access
control (MAC) address or other wireless device 402 identifiers,
and/or substantially any communication parameters related to the
wireless device 402. In addition, restrictions can be determined
based at least in part on explicit specification by the restricted
association access point 406. For example, an operator of the
access point 406 can identify one or more mobile devices that are
to receive or to be denied access from/to the restricted
association access point 406. If no restrictions exist, the
connection request responder 422 can indicate successful connection
establishment to the connection establisher 416 based on additional
parameters (e.g., sufficient resources, etc.) and the connection
establishment can be completed.
[0058] If restrictions do exist and the restricted association
access point 406 is unsuitable for connection establishment with
the wireless device 402, however, the restriction evaluator 420 can
determine a restriction code related to a reason for the
restriction, as described. The connection request responder 422 can
subsequently include the restriction code in response to the
connection establishment request. The restriction code receiver 412
can determine the restriction code from the response, which can be
received over the air and/or over a backhaul connection utilized to
request connection establishment. For example, the restriction code
receiver can determine the restriction related to providing
signaling, data access, registration, and/or service to the
wireless device 402. If the restriction code indicates that the
wireless device 402 is unauthorized to establish connection with
the restricted association access point 406, the access list
controller 414 can remove the restricted association access point
406, and/or a related group identifier, from the list. Thus, the
wireless device 402 can skip the restricted association access
point 406, and/or similar access points associated with a related
group, in subsequent cell reselection attempts conserving resources
on the wireless device 402 by mitigating failed connection
establishment attempts. It is to be appreciated that some
restriction codes can result in not removing the access point 406
or group identifier from the list maintained by the access list
controller. For example, if the restriction code indicates the
restricted association access point 406 is temporarily lacking
resources to handle the wireless device 402. In one example,
though, receiving such codes can result in a timed removal of the
access point from the list. For example, after a period of time,
the access point can be re-added to the list by the access list
controller 414 since denial of access was temporary. In one
example, the list maintained by the access list controller 414 can
be updated by a current access point and/or one or more components
of a wireless communication system.
[0059] Referring to FIGS. 5-7, methodologies relating to cell
reselection and utilizing restriction codes in rejecting connection
establishment attempts are illustrated. While, for purposes of
simplicity of explanation, the methodologies are shown and
described as a series of acts, it is to be understood and
appreciated that the methodologies are not limited by the order of
acts, as some acts may, in accordance with one or more embodiments,
occur in different orders and/or concurrently with other acts from
that shown and described herein. For example, those skilled in the
art will understand and appreciate that a methodology could
alternatively be represented as a series of interrelated states or
events, such as in a state diagram. Moreover, not all illustrated
acts may be required to implement a methodology in accordance with
one or more embodiments.
[0060] Turning to FIG. 5, a methodology 500 that facilitates cell
reselection in wireless communications is displayed. At 502,
surrounding cells are measured to determine one or more parameters
related thereto. As described, the parameters can relate to
communication metrics, such as signal strength, throughput, etc.
and/or one or more additional considerations, such as an access
point identifier, a group identifier, services offered, a related
access provider, etc. In addition, the parameters can relate to the
cell being provided by a home access point, which provides enhanced
billing aspects, additional service or speeds, and/or the like. The
parameters can also relate to offsets or hysteresis to increase
consideration of desirable access points (such as a home access
point, for example) and/or decrease consideration of other access
points. At 504, the surrounding cells can be ranked according to
the determined parameters. The ranking can indicate an order of
desirable cells from which to receive wireless communication
services.
[0061] At 506, it can be determined whether the highest ranked cell
is that currently utilized. Such a determination can be utilized to
ensure connection with an optimal access point. If the highest
ranked cell is the cell currently utilized to receive wireless
communications, the method proceeds back to step 502 to again
measure surrounding cells. This can be based on a timer, in one
example, as to not flood the network with cell measurements or
spend resources by constantly measuring the cells. If the highest
ranked cell is not the currently utilized cell, at 508, cell
reselection can be performed, as described herein, to reselect the
highest ranked cell. It is to be appreciated, in one example, that
once reselection is complete, the method, in one example, can
proceed back to step 502 to continue measuring surrounding cells.
As described, the access points can be base stations, femtocells,
and/or the like.
[0062] Turning to FIG. 6, illustrated is a methodology 600 that
attempts connection establishment with one or more access points in
a wireless communications network. At 602, an identifier can be
received for an access point and/or a group related thereto. The
identifier(s) can be received, for example, during a cell
measurement process in cell reselection, as described.
Alternatively, the identifier(s) can be received by otherwise
evaluating the access point. At 604, it can be determined whether
the identifier is in a list of accessible access points or groups,
as described. Thus, in one example, the access point can belong to
a group, and the group can relate to common access providers and/or
the like. By determining whether the access point or group is in
the list, resources can be conserved by preventing cell reselection
attempts to restricted association access points, and/or related
groups of such access points, to which access is unauthorized.
[0063] At 606, a connection can be requested to the access point
based at least in part on presence of the identifier(s) in the
list. It is to be appreciated that, alternatively, a list of
forbidden access points and/or groups can be maintained, as
described, in which case access can be requested based on absence
of the identifier(s) in the list. In addition, an access point can
have an individual and group identifier. It is to be appreciated
that one or the other, both, or neither of the identifiers can be
in the list. At 608, a restriction code can be received from the
access point in response to the request for connection. For
example, the access point can deny a connection request specifying
a restriction code to indicate a reason for the rejection.
Subsequent action can be taken based at least in part on the
restriction code value, for example.
[0064] Turning to FIG. 7, illustrated is a methodology 700 that
attempts connection establishment with one or more access points in
a wireless communications network. At 702, an access point and/or
related access point group is identified. This can be based at
least in part on a received or determined identifier, for example.
At 704, connection establishment can be requested with the access
point. This can be performed as part of a cell reselection process
as described herein. At 706, a rejection can be received in
response to the request for connection establishment. The rejection
can comprise a restriction code, as described supra. At 708, the
identifier related to the access point or group can be removed from
a maintained list of accessible access points and/or groups. For
example, connection establishment can have been initially requested
based on presence of the identifier in the list. Thus, removing the
identifier from the list can preclude further connection
establishment requests with the access points or other access
points having the same group identifier.
[0065] It will be appreciated that, in accordance with one or more
aspects described herein, inferences can be made regarding many
aspects of cell reselection, such as measuring the parameters,
ranking the cells according to the parameters (and/or additional
parameters), and even aspects of actual reselection (such as when
to perform the reselection, etc.) as described. As used herein, the
term to "infer" or "inference" refers generally to the process of
reasoning about or inferring states of the system, environment,
and/or user from a set of observations as captured via events
and/or data. Inference can be employed to identify a specific
context or action, or can generate a probability distribution over
states, for example. The inference can be probabilistic-that is,
the computation of a probability distribution over states of
interest based on a consideration of data and events. Inference can
also refer to techniques employed for composing higher-level events
from a set of events and/or data. Such inference results in the
construction of new events or actions from a set of observed events
and/or stored event data, whether or not the events are correlated
in close temporal proximity, and whether the events and data come
from one or several event and data sources. In one example,
inferences can additionally be made in determining parameters of
cells during measurement based at least in part on receiving
further information from one or more mobile devices.
[0066] FIG. 8 is an illustration of a mobile device 800 that
facilitates utilizing restriction codes received in connection
establishment attempts to determine access points for cell
reselection. Mobile device 800 comprises a receiver 802 that
receives a signal from, for instance, a receive antenna (not
shown), performs typical actions on (e.g., filters, amplifies,
downconverts, etc.) the received signal, and digitizes the
conditioned signal to obtain samples. Receiver 802 can comprise a
demodulator 804 that can demodulate received symbols and provide
them to a processor 806 for channel estimation. Processor 806 can
be a processor dedicated to analyzing information received by
receiver 802 and/or generating information for transmission by a
transmitter 816, a processor that controls one or more components
of mobile device 800, and/or a processor that both analyzes
information received by receiver 802, generates information for
transmission by transmitter 816, and controls one or more
components of mobile device 800.
[0067] Mobile device 800 can additionally comprise memory 808 that
is operatively coupled to processor 806 and that can store data to
be transmitted, received data, information related to available
channels, data associated with analyzed signal and/or interference
strength, information related to an assigned channel, power, rate,
or the like, and any other suitable information for estimating a
channel and communicating via the channel. Memory 808 can
additionally store protocols and/or algorithms associated with
estimating and/or utilizing a channel (e.g., performance based,
capacity based, etc.).
[0068] It will be appreciated that the data store (e.g., memory
808) described herein can be either volatile memory or nonvolatile
memory, or can include both volatile and nonvolatile memory. By way
of illustration, and not limitation, nonvolatile memory can include
read only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), electrically
programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), or
flash memory. Volatile memory can include random access memory
(RAM), which acts as external cache memory. By way of illustration
and not limitation, RAM is available in many forms such as
synchronous RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM
(SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM
(ESDRAM), Synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct Rambus RAM (DRRAM).
The memory 808 of the subject systems and methods is intended to
comprise, without being limited to, these and any other suitable
types of memory.
[0069] Processor 806 can further be operatively coupled to an
access list controller 810 that can maintain a list of accessible
access points. As described, the list can comprise identifiers for
restricted association access points and/or groups related thereto.
In this regard, access points that are not of a restricted
association type need not be populated to the list, in one example.
Additionally, the access list controller 810 can be consulted in
requesting access to a restricted association access point. This
can ensure that the mobile device 800 does not expend resources
requesting connection establishment with access points for which
association is restricted with respect to the mobile device 800. In
addition, processor 806, and/or receiver 802, can further be
operatively coupled to a restriction code receiver 812 that can
obtain a restriction code in response to requesting connection
establishment with one or more access points.
[0070] Based at least in part on the code, the access list
controller 810 can remove the access point and/or a related group
identifier, from its list. This can preclude the mobile device 800
from requesting connection establishment with the access point or
those in the same group so long as the identifier is absent from
the list. Removal from the list can be based at least in part on
the restriction code. For example, there can be restriction codes
that indicate a more temporary lack of authorization to establish
connection with the access point. Mobile device 800 still further
comprises a modulator 814 and transmitter 816 that respectively
modulate and transmit signals to, for instance, a base station,
another mobile device, etc. Although depicted as being separate
from the processor 806, it is to be appreciated that the access
list controller 810, restriction code receiver 812, demodulator
804, and/or modulator 814 can be part of the processor 806 or
multiple processors (not shown).
[0071] FIG. 9 is an illustration of a system 900 that facilitates
specifying restricted association identifier in wireless
communication connection establishment requests. The system 900
comprises a base station 902 (e.g., access point, femtocell, . . .
) with a receiver 910 that receives signal(s) from one or more
mobile devices 904 through a plurality of receive antennas 906, and
a transmitter 924 that transmits to the one or more mobile devices
904 through a transmit antenna 908. Receiver 910 can receive
information from receive antennas 906 and is operatively associated
with a demodulator 912 that demodulates received information.
Demodulated symbols are analyzed by a processor 914 that can be
similar to the processor described above with regard to FIG. 8, and
which is coupled to a memory 916 that stores information related to
estimating a signal (e.g., pilot) strength and/or interference
strength, data to be transmitted to or received from mobile
device(s) 904 (or a disparate base station (not shown)), and/or any
other suitable information related to performing the various
actions and functions set forth herein. Processor 914 is further
coupled to a restriction evaluator 918 that can determine one or
more restrictions related to access by the mobile device(s) 904 and
a restriction code specifier 920 that can determine a restriction
code based on the determined restrictions.
[0072] According to an example, the base station 902 can receive a
connection request from one or more of the mobile device(s) 904.
The restriction evaluator 918 can determine one or more
restrictions related to mobile device(s) 904 connecting to the base
station 902. The base station 902 can have restricted association,
for example as described, where certain mobile device(s) are
allowed or denied access to the base station 902. In this regard,
the restriction evaluator 918 can determine such denial, for
example. The restriction code specifier 920 can generate a
restriction code related to the determined denial. Subsequently,
the restriction code can be transmitted to the mobile device(s) 904
to indicate a reason for the denial. This allows the mobile
device(s) 904 to take further action in response to the restriction
code, as described herein. According to an example, the restriction
evaluator 918 can determine denial and/or restriction codes by
querying a database or similar data store (not shown). The query
can be general and/or specifically related to the mobile device(s)
904, for example. Furthermore, although depicted as being separate
from the processor 914, it is to be appreciated that the
restriction evaluator 918, restriction code specifier 920,
demodulator 912, and/or modulator 922 can be part of the processor
914 or multiple processors (not shown).
[0073] FIG. 10 shows an example wireless communication system 1000.
The wireless communication system 1000 depicts one base station
1010 and one mobile device 1050 for sake of brevity. However, it is
to be appreciated that system 1000 can include more than one base
station and/or more than one mobile device, wherein additional base
stations and/or mobile devices can be substantially similar or
different from example base station 1010 and mobile device 1050
described below. In addition, it is to be appreciated that base
station 1010 and/or mobile device 1050 can employ the systems
(FIGS. 1-4 and 8-9) and/or methods (FIGS. 5-7) described herein to
facilitate wireless communication there between.
[0074] At base station 1010, traffic data for a number of data
streams is provided from a data source 1012 to a transmit (TX) data
processor 1014. According to an example, each data stream can be
transmitted over a respective antenna. TX data processor 1014
formats, codes, and interleaves the traffic data stream based on a
particular coding scheme selected for that data stream to provide
coded data.
[0075] The coded data for each data stream can be multiplexed with
pilot data using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM)
techniques. Additionally or alternatively, the pilot symbols can be
frequency division multiplexed (FDM), time division multiplexed
(TDM), or code division multiplexed (CDM). The pilot data is
typically a known data pattern that is processed in a known manner
and can be used at mobile device 1050 to estimate channel response.
The multiplexed pilot and coded data for each data stream can be
modulated (e.g. symbol mapped) based on a particular modulation
scheme (e.g., binary phase-shift keying (BPSK), quadrature
phase-shift keying (QPSK), M-phase-shift keying (M-PSK),
M-quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM), etc.) selected for that
data stream to provide modulation symbols. The data rate, coding,
and modulation for each data stream can be determined by
instructions performed or provided by processor 1030.
[0076] The modulation symbols for the data streams can be provided
to a TX MIMO processor 1020, which can further process the
modulation symbols (e.g., for OFDM). TX MIMO processor 1020 then
provides N.sub.T modulation symbol streams to N.sub.T transmitters
(TMTR) 1022a through 1022t. In various embodiments, TX MIMO
processor 1020 applies beamforming weights to the symbols of the
data streams and to the antenna from which the symbol is being
transmitted.
[0077] Each transmitter 1022 receives and processes a respective
symbol stream to provide one or more analog signals, and further
conditions (e.g. amplifies, filters, and upconverts) the analog
signals to provide a modulated signal suitable for transmission
over the MIMO channel. Further, N.sub.T modulated signals from
transmitters 1022a through 1022t are transmitted from N.sub.T
antennas 1024a through 1024t, respectively.
[0078] At mobile device 1050, the transmitted modulated signals are
received by N.sub.R antennas 1052a through 1052r and the received
signal from each antenna 1052 is provided to a respective receiver
(RCVR) 1054a through 1054r. Each receiver 1054 conditions (e.g.,
filters, amplifies, and downconverts) a respective signal,
digitizes the conditioned signal to provide samples, and further
processes the samples to provide a corresponding "received" symbol
stream.
[0079] An RX data processor 1060 can receive and process the
N.sub.R received symbol streams from N.sub.R receivers 1054 based
on a particular receiver processing technique to provide N.sub.T
"detected" symbol streams. RX data processor 1060 can demodulate,
deinterleave, and decode each detected symbol stream to recover the
traffic data for the data stream. The processing by RX data
processor 1060 is complementary to that performed by TX MIMO
processor 1020 and TX data processor 1014 at base station 1010.
[0080] A processor 1070 can periodically determine which precoding
matrix to utilize as discussed above. Further, processor 1070 can
formulate a reverse link message comprising a matrix index portion
and a rank value portion.
[0081] The reverse link message can comprise various types of
information regarding the communication link and/or the received
data stream. The reverse link message can be processed by a TX data
processor 1038, which also receives traffic data for a number of
data streams from a data source 1036, modulated by a modulator
1080, conditioned by transmitters 1054a through 1054r, and
transmitted back to base station 1010.
[0082] At base station 1010, the modulated signals from mobile
device 1050 are received by antennas 1024, conditioned by receivers
1022, demodulated by a demodulator 1040, and processed by a RX data
processor 1042 to extract the reverse link message transmitted by
mobile device 1050. Further, processor 1030 can process the
extracted message to determine which precoding matrix to use for
determining the beamforming weights.
[0083] Processors 1030 and 1070 can direct (e.g., control,
coordinate, manage, etc.) operation at base station 1010 and mobile
device 1050, respectively. Respective processors 1030 and 1070 can
be associated with memory 1032 and 1072 that store program codes
and data. Processors 1030 and 1070 can also perform computations to
derive frequency and impulse response estimates for the uplink and
downlink, respectively.
[0084] It is to be understood that the embodiments described herein
can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, middleware,
microcode, or any combination thereof For a hardware
implementation, the processing units can be implemented within one
or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital
signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices
(DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate
arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, micro-controllers,
microprocessors, other electronic units designed to perform the
functions described herein, or a combination thereof.
[0085] When the embodiments are implemented in software, firmware,
middleware or microcode, program code or code segments, they can be
stored in a machine-readable medium, such as a storage component. A
code segment can represent a procedure, a function, a subprogram, a
program, a routine, a subroutine, a module, a software package, a
class, or any combination of instructions, data structures, or
program statements. A code segment can be coupled to another code
segment or a hardware circuit by passing and/or receiving
information, data, arguments, parameters, or memory contents.
Information, arguments, parameters, data, etc. can be passed,
forwarded, or transmitted using any suitable means including memory
sharing, message passing, token passing, network transmission,
etc.
[0086] For a software implementation, the techniques described
herein can be implemented with modules (e.g., procedures,
functions, and so on) that perform the functions described herein.
The software codes can be stored in memory units and executed by
processors. The memory unit can be implemented within the processor
or external to the processor, in which case it can be
communicatively coupled to the processor via various means as is
known in the art.
[0087] Turning to FIG. 11, illustrated is a system 1100 that
receives restriction codes in attempting connection with one or
more restricted association access points. System 1100 can reside
within a base station, femtocell, mobile device, etc., for
instance. As depicted, system 1100 includes functional blocks that
can represent functions implemented by a processor, software, or
combination thereof (e.g., firmware). System 1100 includes a
logical grouping 1102 of electrical components that act in
conjunction. Logical grouping 1102 can include means for
determining that a group identifier related to a restricted
association access point is present in a maintained list of
accessible access point group identifiers 1104. As described, a
list of accessible access points and/or groups can be maintained to
conserve resources in establishing communications. Where access
points and/or related groups are not present in the list,
connection establishment requests can be avoided as the access
points or those in related groups can be unsuitable. Moreover,
logical grouping 1102 can include means for requesting connection
establishment with the restricted association access point based at
least in part on the determination 1106. Thus, if the identifier or
group identifier is in the list, the connection establishment can
be requested from the access point. Further, logical grouping 1102
can include means for receiving a restriction code in response to
the requesting connection establishment indicating establishing
connection with the restricted association access point is
restricted 1108. Thus, based on the restriction code, in one
example, subsequent connection establishment requests can be
foregone, as described. Additionally, system 1100 can include a
memory 1110 that retains instructions for executing functions
associated with electrical components 1104, 1106, and 1108. While
shown as being external to memory 1110, it is to be understood that
electrical components 1104, 1106, and 1108 can exist within memory
1110.
[0088] What has been described above includes examples of one or
more embodiments. It is, of course, not possible to describe every
conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes
of describing the aforementioned embodiments, but one of ordinary
skill in the art may recognize that many further combinations and
permutations of various embodiments are possible. Accordingly, the
described embodiments are intended to embrace all such alterations,
modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and scope
of the appended claims. Furthermore, to the extent that the term
"includes" is used in either the detailed description or the
claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar
to the term "comprising" as "comprising" is interpreted when
employed as a transitional word in a claim. Furthermore, although
elements of the described aspects and/or embodiments may be
described or claimed in the singular, the plural is contemplated
unless limitation to the singular is explicitly stated.
Additionally, all or a portion of any aspect and/or embodiment may
be utilized with all or a portion of any other aspect and/or
embodiment, unless stated otherwise.
[0089] The various illustrative logics, logical blocks, modules,
and circuits described in connection with the embodiments disclosed
herein may be implemented or performed with a general purpose
processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application
specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array
(FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or
transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination
thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A
general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but, in the
alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor,
controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also
be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a
combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of
microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a
DSP core, or any other such configuration. Additionally, at least
one processor may comprise one or more modules operable to perform
one or more of the steps and/or actions described above.
[0090] Further, the steps and/or actions of a method or algorithm
described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be
embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a
processor, or in a combination of the two. A software module may
reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory,
EEPROM memory, registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM,
or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary
storage medium may be coupled to the processor, such that the
processor can read information from, and write information to, the
storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be
integral to the processor. Further, in some aspects, the processor
and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC. Additionally, the
ASIC may reside in a user terminal. In the alternative, the
processor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components
in a user terminal. Additionally, in some aspects, the steps and/or
actions of a method or algorithm may reside as one or any
combination or set of codes and/or instructions on a machine
readable medium and/or computer readable medium, which may be
incorporated into a computer program product.
[0091] In one or more aspects, the functions described may be
implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination
thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored or
transmitted as one or more instructions or code on a
computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both
computer storage media and communication media including any medium
that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to
another. A storage medium may be any available media that can be
accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such
computer-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or
other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic
storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or
store desired program code in the form of instructions or data
structures and that can be accessed by a computer. Also, any
connection may be termed a computer-readable medium. For example,
if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote
source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair,
digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as
infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic
cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as
infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of
medium. Disk and disc, as used herein, includes compact disc (CD),
laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk
and blu-ray disc where disks usually reproduce data magnetically,
while discs usually reproduce data optically with lasers.
Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope
of computer-readable media.
* * * * *